Eyes of the India

  ‘No-fault’ divorces will mean one spouse no longer needs to prove adultery, unreasonable behaviour or desertion Unhappy spouses in England and Wales can now end their marriages without blaming each other. “No-fault” divorces will mean from Wednesday, one spouse no longer needs to prove the other guilty of either adultery, “unreasonable behaviour” or desertion. Previously, without such proof, couples had to live apart for two years before a divorce could be granted — or five years if one partner objected to the proceedings. The biggest reform of divorce law for 50 years brings England and Wales into line with Scotland, the US, Australia and Germany. In 2018, Tini Owens lost a Supreme Court fight when she failed to persuade the judges that her 40-year marriage should end. Her husband had contested her claims of unreasonable behaviour. Judges ruled that being trapped in an unhappy marriage was not in itself grounds for divorce. “No one should have to remain in a loveless marriage ...

 At least 80 per cent of Britain’s gas supplies and 70 per cent of oil must be sourced from abroad by 2030, a UK oil and gas trade body said on Tuesday, unless there is investment to boost North Sea output. Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) said major investment is needed to offset a reliance on imports after Norway became the leading supplier of gas to Britain last year – the first time a single country has become the primary source. Deirdre Michie, chief executive of Offshore Energies UK, said Britain’s overall oil and gas production will fall by up to 15 per cent a year unless there is rapid investment in new infrastructure. “This decline is much faster than the predicted reduction in UK energy demand so, if there is no such investment then, by 2030, we will be reliant on other countries for at least 80 per cent of our gas and 70 per cent of our oil,” Ms Michie said. “That gap will have to be filled by imports, meaning the UK will become ever more dependent on other countries.” This r...

Britain’s negotiations with Iran aimed at securing the release of dual citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe are “going right up to the wire”, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. Mr Johnson said talks with Tehran over the fate of the mother of one were “moving forward” but he could not say more as “negotiations continue to be under way”. Liz Truss, the UK’s foreign secretary, said the government’s priority is to pay Iran the £400 million debt and reach an agreement with Tehran to allow Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 43, to return to Britain. Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of imprisoned Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and their 7-year-old daughter Gabriella hold up pictures of Nazanin in Parliament Square in London in September 2021, to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran.  Hopes were raised on Tuesday that she might finally be freed after six years when a London MP disclosed that her British passport had been returned to her. Labour’s Tulip Siddiq said Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been ta...

 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson landed in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for talks with senior officials over the war in Ukraine and the global energy crises. Mr Johnson was greeted at Abu Dhabi airport by British Ambassador to the UAE Patrick Moody and UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash. He was guided through a guard of honour before travelling across the city to Emirates Palace. Boris Johnson, who will later on Wednesday visit Riyadh, will talk to officials about boosting oil production to ease spiking fuel prices linked to Russia's war in Ukraine, the UK's Press Association agency reported. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives at Abu Dhabi airport on March 16, 2022.  Speaking to British media at the Emirates Palace hotel, Mr Johnson said: “It’s not just a question of looking at the Opec countries and what they can do to increase supply, though that is important, there’s also the issue of Emirati investment in UK wind farms, already huge, what more can t...

 Challenges to come, analysts warn, with rising inflation set to trigger interest-rate rise next week Britain’s economy rebounded much more than expected in January, when the number of infections caused by the Omicron coronavirus variant eased, but the war in Ukraine darkens the outlook. Gross domestic product grew 0.8 per cent on the month in January after a 0.2 per cent decline in December — the strongest monthly expansion since June, according to the Office for National Statistics — with soaring inflation raising the spectre of an interest-rate increase next week. While January’s growth means the economy is now 0.8 per cent bigger than its pre-pandemic peak in February 2020, with growth set to continue in February, economists expect tougher times ahead. “Conflict in Ukraine is putting considerable pressure on energy and commodity prices, which, if sustained, will push inflation even higher than expected,” said Alpesh Paleja, lead economist at the Chamber of British Industry. “Th...

  City of London office assets a key target despite Britain’s stuttering back-to-work drive Middle East appetite for UK commercial real estate is ramping up with wealthy investors expected to spend $1.5 billion this year, with office buildings — particularly in the City of London — the top target as easing Covid-19 restrictions unleash pent-up demand. The region’s accelerated investment in Britain’s commercial property landscape is set to be 33 per cent higher in 2022 than last year, according to Knight Frank, with office assets taking centre stage despite Britain’s employees making a slow return to city centres following the pandemic-induced work-from-home trend. The investment figure could be even higher, according to Alex James, head of private client commercial advisory at Knight Frank, with the consultancy tracking £4.17bn of active central London office requirements from Middle East investors this year — up 6 per cent on 2021 — with premium green office buildings that comply ...